Dear Nesta,
Chile, we easin’ down to de en’ o’ de hurricane season an’ t’ank de good Lord up to now we still ’mong de lucky ones.
Only las’ week Jamaica get touch by “Sandy” an’ I sincerely hope dis is de las’ o’ de high win’s to blow t’rough de Caribbean fuh dis year! Dis season seem to be never-endin’, an’ I won’ be surprise ef we don’ hear it gine las’ right down to December one o’ dese days!
I come ’long hearin’ dat de onlies’ t’ing constant in life is “change”, an’ ef dah include de weavver, so be it! It only mean dat I gine got to keep a ole winter coat handy, jes’ in case I happen to see snowflakes comin’ down one o’ dese mornin’s!
We might not know when elections comin’, but de shops sure startin’ to remin’ we dat Chris’mas cyahn be too far off – duh showin’ de signs! One t’ing wid we Bajans, recession or not, when it come to dat season, we gine enjoy weselves. After all, who is to know when we gine pass from dis scene?
Nobody en got duh life put down, an’ from de way t’ings gine, it seem to be gettin’ mo’ an’ mo’ short fuh a lot o’ we. Evuh week as God sen’, I could easily atten’ two or t’ree funerals – people my age, an’ nuff times, a lot younger! So, aldoh Chris’mas en dah far away, a lot o’ we might still not be aroun’ fuh de turkey an’ de ham!
One t’ing dat should cheer we up doh is de amounk o’ ole Bajans reachin’ de 100-year mark nowadays! Chile, duh keepin’ de Governor General bizzy enuff. Sometimes, we got two o’ dem celebratin’ durin’ de same week! I en know wuh win’ was blowin’ 100 years ago in dis islan’, but wuhevuh was happenin’ at de time, we now seein’ de results!
Once ’pon a time, it was mos’ly women reachin’ dah milestone, but nowadays, de men ketchin’ up, an’ lemmuh tell yuh, some o’ duh even look mo’ strong dan de women! When yuh chat wid dese ole people, mos’ times yuh realize dat apart from good genes, duh put in a lot o’ hard wuk durin’ duh young days an’ groun’ provisions play a big part in duh choice o’ food – good luck fuh dem, “fas’ food” din in style as yet! But one t’read keep runnin’ t’rough duh conversations – duh all got a onshaken belief in de Almighty to keep duh t’rough life, wuhevuh duh lot!
We en de onlies’ wid 100-year oles! Recently, a 100-year ole Frenchman set a track record fuh he age group in cyclin’ – de president o’ de club call ’e an “inspiration”! As far as he concern, age is jes’ a number! An’ in Florida, two ole fellas – frien’s sence duh was 10 – celebrate 100 years, earlier dis monf, wid a big birfday party!
I en know hummuch o’ de babies born nowadays gine be hey 100 years from now! Philomena been tellin’ muh ’bout some new-fashion way o’ counkin’ age, but I still don’ know ef it would help! She say she now counkin’ age like de Yanks – “40” is de new “20”, “50” is de new “30”, “70”, de new “50”, an’ so on.
After lissenin’ to she, I was gine point out dat it din seem as ef she pass dis youf message to she bones an’ muscles as yet, from de way she was easin’ she way into she chair, complainin’ ’bout back pains, but it din my place to burs’ she bubble!
Anyway, I en cay ef yuh counkin’ backwards, forwards or sideways, I know it is a privilege to see 100 years, an’ I congratulate anybody lucky enuff to reach dah age!
Tek care o’ yuhself.Yuh frien’ Babsie
